Cooking For Family & Friends

This is a lazy girl Hainanese inspired chicken dish. I make this on days where I want to make something that will yield leftovers and where there is minimal clean up since this all happens in one pot.

Ingredients:

-1 6lb whole chicken, rinsed with cold water and giblets taken out

-One knob of ginger, peeled and sliced thickly

-5 scallions, cut so you just have the bottom white half

-4 cloves of garlic, smashed

-Salt for seasoning

-6 cups of water

Directions:

1. Take whole chicken and rub with salt on both sides. This helps clean the chicken and create a little sheen when it cooks.
2. Get a big pot with a lid, big enough to contain the whole chicken. Fill with water and add garlic, ginger, scallion and a hefty pinch of salt. Simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Carefully add chicken to the pot and cover. Get to a boil then simmer to low for 1 hour or when chicken is cooked. You can use a thermometer to check if the chicken is done (165 F). If the juices run clear, it’s cooked.
4. Prepare an ice bath in a separate big bowl/container with cold water. Turn off heat where chicken is cooking and carefully transfer the chicken to the ice bath. Let it sit for at least half an hour so the chicken cools off and juices are retained
5. Slice and serve!

Ginger, Scallion and Garlic Sauce

Ingredients:

-6 cloves of garlic, minced

-2 scallions, finely chopped the green part

-5 tablespoons vegetable/canola oil

-1 teaspoon of minced ginger

Directions

1. Heat oil on low and add garlic, ginger and pinch of salt. Saute lightly for several minutes and then add scallions. Cook for a few minutes longer and if needed, add more salt. The sauce should be flavorful enough with the salt to add much needed flavor to the chicken.
2. Once salt is melted into the oil, turn off the heat and serve on top of the chicken. The garlic should still be somewhat pale as you’re not cooking it long enough to brown it.